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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862592">Fever Dream</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/716ag/pseuds/716ag'>716ag</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>domestic rini drabbles :) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Sickfic, college rini</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:35:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,289</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862592</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/716ag/pseuds/716ag</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>the one where Ricky doesn't feel good &amp; Nini is there to take care of him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ricky Bowen &amp; Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>domestic rini drabbles :) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fever Dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>January in New York meant the start of a new semester, this one being Ricky and Nini’s last at NYU for undergrad. But it also meant cold and wet weather, the kind where Ricky would rather spend the afternoon cuddled on the couch with Nini than in his music history lecture. As his professor droned on and on, Ricky could feel his body become progressively hotter and more sore. He didn’t feel well when he crawled out of their bed early this morning, but attributed it to just being the side effects of a late night songwriting session. It was when he felt a chill run down his spine that he knew it was likely more than that. </p>
<p>The class was finally dismissed after going over the last part of the syllabus, a wave of exhaustion hitting Ricky as he stood up. He followed the rest of his class out of the lecture hall and was met with a cold blast of winter air mixed with the kind of mist that tickles your face like a feather. He pulled his rain jacket closer to his body, desperate for warmth despite feeling like his insides were on fire. </p>
<p>Nini and him had lucked out on apartments, snagging an eclectic one bedroom that was a seven minute walk from campus. They had decided to move in together after their sophomore year, figuring that since they were already spending most nights at one of their places, they would rather not waste any more money on two rents. It was small enough to be the perfect amount of cozy, but large enough to house their friends when they wanted to have a movie night. The exposed brick walls kept it chillier than normal in the winter but neither of them complained, only using it as an excuse to snuggle a little closer at night. </p>
<p>Despite his body aches, he lightly jogged to their place, eager to hop back into bed and sleep for the entirety of the weekend. He pushed the door of their building open, pulled his jacket off and shook the excess rainwater off before taking the stairs up to the third floor. Jiggling the door knob, he smirked realizing Nini had once again left the door unlocked. He constantly got onto her about keeping it locked when she was there alone, reminding her New York wasn’t as safe as Salt Lake. But each time she would nod in understanding and kiss him, then say something sweet about how she was just waiting for him to be home. He opened the door and saw her sitting on the couch with her back to him, her phone pressed to her ear, talking animatedly to someone on the other line. He quietly set his backpack on the kitchen counter, locked the door, and snuck around the backside of the couch before falling into her lap. </p>
<p>“Ricky!” She yelled as he interrupted her sentence. “Sorry, Gi. Ricky just got home from class and snuck up on me.” She explained, rolling her eyes. She continued her conversation with Gina as he burrowed his head in her lap. She had one of his sweatshirts on under the blanket she was wrapped up in, so she smelled a little bit like him. She began to run her fingers through his hair, pausing when her hand brushed across his forehead. She looked down at him with wide eyes as she listened to whatever Gina was saying. </p>
<p>He nudged his head up into her hand, much like a puppy does when it is being pet, her cool hand feeling good against his skin. “You’re burning up.” She whispered, pulling the phone away from her mouth.<br/>
“I feel like I’m dying.” He whimpered, making an obvious point to get her off the phone by being as dramatic as he can. He turned his body into her more, reaching for her free hand and kissing it repeatedly. He sighs loudly, causing her to look down at the sad puppy eyes he was giving her. </p>
<p>“Baby, I don’t feel good.” He interrupted her once again, not really paying attention to what she was saying to Gina. She rolled her eyes again but didn’t let him distract her from the conversation. That was until he sat up and started to pepper kisses all over her neck. Nini tried to shove him off, but instead he nestled his head in her neck, listening to her heartbeat. </p>
<p>“Hey Gi, sorry, but I have a feverish and clingy man-child in my lap. I’ll call you back when I convince him that a cold doesn’t mean he’s dying.” He heard Gina laugh through the phone as they said goodbye, Nini shifting him back into her lap as she set her phone on the side table. She ran her hand down the side of Ricky’s face, squishing his cheeks inward to push his lips out. He frowned at her after she moved her hands to run through his curls again. “I’m sorry you don’t feed well, what ails you?” </p>
<p>“My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and is on fire, I can feel my heartbeat in my head, and I feel like I just sang in a sold out show at Madison Square Garden because my throat is so raw.” He mumbled, finally finding a comfortable position in Nini’s lap. </p>
<p>“What can I do to help you?” She asks soothingly, still running her fingers through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp. </p>
<p>“Keep doing what you’re doing, s’feels good.” His eyes close and his breathing gets shallow, Nini knowing he is seconds away from falling asleep. She contemplates telling him to get up and go to their room, but settles on letting him stay put. She reaches for her child development textbook and figures that she can at least get ahead on her reading for the next week while Ricky rests in her lap. </p>
<p>Two hours later, a cough startles both of them awake, Nini having fallen asleep twenty minutes into reading her textbook. Ricky looks up at her with glassy eyes, her hair ruffled from lying awkwardly against the couch. </p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” She asks, putting her hand to his forehead. He was still burning up and looked paler than he did before their nap. </p>
<p>He sat up slowly, trying to get his bearings. “Like I desperately need chicken n’ stars soup with a side of ibuprofen and a Marvel movie.” </p>
<p>“Well let’s do that then.” She says, getting up to go to the kitchen. He lays out on the couch again, instantly missing her body warmth.<br/>
Nini reached towards the back of their cupboards where they stored the medicine and pulled out the ibuprofen bottle, some cough medicine, and the saltines. Walking back to the living room, she handed the medicine to Ricky and turned the TV on, pulling up Disney +. He washed it down and reached for her hand, squeezing it. “Thanks for taking care of me.” He smiled before pulling the remote out of the hand he was holding. There was no way he was gonna let her pick the movie, because for all he knew, they would end up watching Guardians of the Galaxy for the third time that month. </p>
<p>“You little sneak!” She laughed, kissing his forehead. “You thought being sweet would let you pick the movie!” </p>
<p>“Baby, I’m on my deathbed, and Guardians of the Galaxy is not a movie I want to watch on my deathbed.” He explained. </p>
<p>She huffed, going back into the kitchen to find the chicken n’ stars soup in the back of the food cupboards. “Yeah, well, you’re lucky I love you.” </p>
<p>He turned around to face her, “I love you too, angel.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi! i'm back with a new work + new series! have really been craving some domestic rini fluff lately &amp; decided that there was no better way to get what i want than to write it myself :) </p>
<p>this new series will be updated slowly &amp; randomly, and by no means is the songfic series over! just wanted to widen the scope of my writing and explore new avenues. </p>
<p>as always, this was originally posted on twitter! if you're on there, i would love to connect! i'm @riniforever3 :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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